TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

Relying only on peaceful means throughout, one can now reach the pinnacle of success. The fact is that the violent method has now become an anachronism. It is contrary to the spirit of the age. has made it virtually impossible to resuscitate the old-style political empires. Now, no emperor can do whatever he likes without fear of censure, unlike before. In the same way today, we have what can be called a ‘universal deterrent’ in the form of the United Nations, Amnesty International and numerous human rights groups. No ruler can afford to turn a blind eye to their concerns or to act against them for too long. Following these momentous changes in the global level, human history entered a new phase. If the ancient period was what could be called ‘the Military Age’, the new age is the ‘Non-Military Age’. In the former period, military power was considered necessary to achieve any major success. But now the peaceful method has gained the status of being a completely successful method. Now, efforts for any goal without needing to use violence at any stage can be undertaken. Relying only on peaceful means throughout, one can now reach the pinnacle of success. The fact is that the violent method has now become an anachronism. It is contrary to the spirit of the age. Given present day conditions, it can be confidently said that no longer does the age of jihad in the sense of qital or war still exist. Today, the time for jihad in the sense of peaceful efforts has returned to the world. This does not mean that jihad in the sense of qital has now been abrogated. It still remains as a commandment, as it was. The new situation has to do not with any abrogation of the commandment, but, rather with the changes in the prevailing conditions. This follows from the generally accepted rule in Islamic jurisprudence, that with the change of time and space, some commandments (application) can also change. It is clear, in this regard, that there is a basic distinction between change and abrogation in terms of their very nature. This change that has taken place in present times is in favour of Islam, and it is one of the results of the revolution brought out by Islam itself. This happened so that opportunities for constructive work could be opened to the utmost extent. The followers of Islam now have no need to enter any confrontation for the sake of conveying the message of Islam. They can present the message peacefully. o